____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ November 2, 1997 ____________________________________________________ Denominationalizing the Church (Part 7) by Roy E. Cogdill Men have as much right to alter the Word of God as to remodel and redesign the structure or function of the church of God. The same prerogative that grants to man the right to do one justifies the other also. But such right does not exist, and to exercise it is to bring upon one's self the anathema of almighty God. Man has no right to change God's Word and he has no right to lay his unholy hands upon the church to change it in any way. God designed it from eternity (Eph. 3:10-11). Jesus built it after the divine pattern, upon the divinely laid foundation (Matt. 16:18-20). The Holy Spirit dwells in it to give it life, strength, power and vitality (Eph. 2:19-22). It is in this body, designed by the wisdom and will of almighty God, sent from heaven and established upon this earth by the Lord Jesus Christ, and directed by the Holy Spirit that God is to be glorified (Eph. 3:20). But this cannot be done by altering the divine pattern for the church any more than it can be done by changing the message of His Word. When men do one they signify thereby that they would not hesitate to do the other, if they thought it would be accepted by those with whom they are in fellowship. After all, a human creed is no worse than a human organization or a human program of work and worship! Why should it be so regarded? The same passage that teaches one God, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, also teaches one body! (Eph. 4:4-6) We have pointed out the divine organization of the Lord's Church as it is revealed in the New Testament. The one and the only organization known to the New Testament scriptures is the local church! We challenge anyone to produce another. There was nothing larger, smaller, or other than the local church. Through it, all of the Lord's work was carried on by the people of God. When that organization began to be altered by the wisdom and unbelief of fallible men, apostasy ensued; and out of that apostasy, human creeds and human denominational organizations grew. It is even so today! Over each one of these local churches, God appointed that elders should ``rule'' or have the superintendence and oversight as bishops. This rule was not by their own authority, residual either in them as men, or in the ``office,'' or work to which they had been appointed, but in the execution of the will of the Lord, the head over all things to the church which is his body, and therefore by his authority. It was not a delegated authority that made them ``lords'' over the churches. From the exercise of their own will, using the ``office'' to have their own way and follow their own judgment, they were precluded. A self-willed man is not qualified to be an elder (Titus 1:7). Neither did their position of responsibility give them license to act as ``lords'' over the heritage of God (the church). The sovereignty belongs to the Lord and everything anyone does in the church of the Lord must be done by his authority (I Peter 5:1-5; Eph. 1:21-23). One extreme among brethren today, concerning the eldership, is the idea that elders or bishops constitute a sort of hierarchy that is almost, if not quite, infallible; and that these men, who must be, have the God appointed rule (have the right) to determine truth for us all, lay down a prescribed rule by which we are to live, and steer the church on a course of activity from which none have the scriptural right to dissent. The common conception along this line, which is used to excuse fellowship or participation in something admittedly without Bible authority in the activity of the church, is that ``what the elders decide must be in subjection to them and none has the right to refuse to follow them in such a course.'' The infallibility claimed for the Roman Catholic Hierarchy in their ``interpretation for the scriptures'' and in the authority exercised by them, even to the claim to be able to forgive sins, is no more absolute than that. The Bible teaches that we must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). This applies to any kind of authority: governmental, parental, marital, or congregational. The individual that is willing to violate his conscience by fellowshipping what is not in harmony with the teaching of the Lord, just because the elders think it is all right, or for any other reason, is untrue to the Lord and disobedient to his obligation to recognize the Lord as the one and only sovereign of his heart and life. Concerning elders, Paul wrote, I Tim. 5:17-20: ''...Them that sin, rebuke before all, that others also may fear.'' This injunction was delivered to a Gospel preacher and was not idle instruction. A preacher that will not dissent and refuse to go along with even the elders under whom he labors, as well as any others, when they depart from that which is according to truth, is a time-server and man-pleaser, a hireling and unworthy of Christian fellowship. Every Christian has the obligation to determine what the truth is by his own study of the Word of God and honor it above all else. Elders, if there is any difference at all, are charged with special duty to follow strictly the will of the Lord and watch against any departure therefrom, either in theory or practice (Acts 20:28-32). That there is wide spread abuse of the eldership along this and many other lines is apparent to all who are in anywise acquainted with the true facts. Sometimes elders are jealous of their ``authority'' and will not take anyone -- preacher, deacon, teacher, or member --into their counsel, seeking their advice and help in settling even matters of judgment and expediency. They feel called upon to make every decision without considering or consulting those over whom they ``rule.'' This is very unwise and will eventually breed rebellion. If a father of the family should feel that it is his right and obligation to make every decision -- without the advice, counsel, or without even consulting the wishes and preferences of the members of the family, he will breed rebellion. Members who are properly taught know how to give their advice, counsel, and help in such matters without trespassing upon the duty and responsibility of the elders. Elders who are competent to be recognized as elders should and will know how to keep in constant touch with the members under their supervision without being ``lords'' and oppressive in the exercise of their duty to ``rule.'' The other extreme is the presently agitated theory among some, even of the ``sound brethren,'' that elders have no ``oversight'' and cannot rightly rule except by teaching and example. There must be the right to ``exercise the oversight,'' ``to tend,'' ``to take heed,'' ``to watch'' not by teaching or example only, but in admonition, restraint, discipline, and direction. Upon the elders, this responsibility has been made to rest; and their obligation to discharge it must be honored not only by them, ``for they must give an account unto God'' for the souls over whom they watch; but it must also be honored by those under their ``watch,'' ``oversight'' or ``tending,'' by recognizing the subjection that is due them. To disrespect this or try to discredit it is not in harmony with divine authority any more than altering the government of God's church by enlarging their authority and jurisdiction. One is as much a departure as the other, and both are spiritual anarchy against the God-given government in His church. -- January 27, 1966 ___________________________________________ No One Cared For My Soul by David Padfield The 142nd Psalm contains ``a prayer of David when he was in the cave.'' David, while hiding from King Saul, thought he had been deserted by all his friends. In one of the saddest verses in the Bible, David said, ``Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul'' (Psa. 142:4). Is it possible that you have a friend or neighbor who, like David, feels that no one cares for their soul? In all likelihood, within the last two years one of your friends or neighbors died unprepared to meet God. What did you do to prevent this tragedy? Did they know that you cared for their soul? Do your children know you care for their soul? If you do, they will know it from your instruction in the Word of God. Before the Israelites entered the promised land, Moses told the people, ``these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up'' (Deut. 6:6,7). Do your friends know you care for their soul? One of Paul's greatest desires was for the salvation of his nation (Rom. 10:1-3). The obligation he felt to preach made him cry out, ``woe is me if I do not preach the gospel'' (1 Cor. 9:16). When was the last time you invited your friends to a Bible study? It seems as though we can find time to discuss everything in the world except the salvation of a soul which is worth more than the world itself (Matt. 16:26). Do your brethren know you care for their soul? ``Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous'' (1 Peter 3:8). Love for the brethren is expressed by action. Do you help or hinder the public assembly? Are you an encouragement to others or a constant complainer? You cannot encourage and complain at the same time. At the judgment your concern, or lack thereof, will be made known. Imagine the heartache of one of your neighbors saying, in the words of one of our songs, ``You never mentioned Him to me, You helped me not the light to see; You met me day by day and knew I was astray, Yet you never mentioned Him to me.'' God warned a prophet by saying: ``When I say to the wicked, `You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul'' (Ezek. 3:18-21). -- Via Reflections On Truth ___________________________________________ For The Lack of Wood by Bob Dickey ``For lack of wood the fire goeth out; And where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth. As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious men to inflame strife...'' (Proverbs 26:20-21). Slander and gossip are said to be like a fire; they heat up the spirit and cause us to speak inflammatory things. This kind of speech burns up all that is good. It will inflame and embroil families, friends, work associates, and brethren -- as well as enemies. All of our society bears the marks of fires that have raged out of control, destroying what is good and precious. And where does the fire start? It is the whispering gossip or slanderer, according to Solomon, that is often the one who fuels the fires of contention. In the New Testament, James writes about the evils of the tongue and says: ``Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire! And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell...'' (James 3:5-6). Brethren what we must all do is put an end to the fueling of these fires! We must stop the talking that hurts and destroys others. When the whispering and gossiping stop, the fire will go out. When the rumors, evil reports, and tale-bearings cease, the contention will cease. -- Via Gospel Power, Anderson, Alabama, 2/9/97. ___________________________________________ The Breath of Life It is a temptation to see our empty billfolds and purses and think that we have received nothing from God. Yet think on this: God has given us the ability to breathe and so maintain our life on earth! The Lord gives us the opportunity to breathe (on average) 18 times per minute, day and night. What we breathe is His gift to us. Every day we breathe 26,000 times. Multiply this figure by the number of days you have lived. You will be surprised by the large number of times that God has permitted you to even breathe. Job 12:10 tells us that we are in the hand of God. In that divine resting place is ``the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.'' The prophet Daniel rebuked foolish King Belshazzar, telling him that he had not humbled himself before God. ``But you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven...the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified'' (Daniel 5:23). -- Selected & Edited (original author unknown) ___________________________________________ ``Good Night'' or ``Good-bye''? A certain father on his death bed called for his two sons. They both gathered near him. To the one he said, ``Good night, my son.'' To the other he said, ``Good-bye, my son.'' The second son noticed the difference between the two farewells. ``Father, why did you say `Good night' to my brother and `Good-bye' to me?'' The frail, old man looked upon him with great sadness. He then replied, ``I love you both so very much. But your brother is a Christian and I will meet him again in `the morning of eternity.' So it is just `Good night' to him. However, you are not a Christian and I will never see you again. Unless you change and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, I must say `good-bye' to you--'good-bye' throughout all eternity.'' -- Author Unknown (edited) ___________________________________________ Free Bible Courses are available upon request. Why not ask for yours today? ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________